Virginia Democrat Terry McAuliffe is returning $25,000 in potentially illegal donations to a political action committee (PAC) he runs, according to the AP.
McAuliffe, Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign chairman and longtime Clinton associate, accepted a donation from Glinn USA, a company with ties to Sonangol, the state-owned oil company of Angola.
“In our normal course of legal vetting, it became clear that Glinn USA was not able to certify the contribution complied with state and federal law,” said McAuliffe’s PAC director, Brian Zuzenak. “Out of an abundance of caution we have decided to refund the contribution. The PAC will continue to operate in accordance with Gov. McAuliffe’s commitment to transparency.”
However, an attorney for Glinn USA said the money was being returned only after his clients asked for it back. That request came after the company received a letter asking that the donation’s legality be certified.
“I talked to my client, and they said, ‘to hell with it,’” said Gary Dugger, the company’s registered agent. “They’re business people and they’re not interested in getting involved in political controversies.”
The connection between McAuliffe and Glinn USA was made by Laurence Humphries, a Clinton fundraiser:
According to a database maintained by the watchdog group Public Citizen, Humphries was a sizeable fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2008. McAuliffe, a former national Democratic fundraiser, was chairman of that campaign.
But is anyone really surprised the Clintons are involved in a scandal involving money and politics?